Catasauqua Orders Cleanup Of Well Water

After months of debate over what would be the best and least costly tactic to eliminate Catasauqua's gasoline-tainted well water, Borough Council last night authorized a cleanup of the contamination.

Council voted unanimously that borough staff work with Groundwater Technologies of Chadds Ford to begin a cleanup as soon as possible so the borough won't need to keep paying costly bills for water from Northampton.

Residents this month face a 100-percent increase in water rates to cover costs for water from Northampton that has been used since Feb. 1, when Catasauqua shut off its wells after discovering 940 gallons of gasoline had leaked from a borough underground storage tank.

Council took some heat last night from residents who protested the water- rate increase, which was approved at a special meeting March 25.

Some 70 residents, most of whom did not attend any previous council sessions at which the water problem was discussed, came out last night to protest the hike.

A few complained they were not informed that the borough was considering a rate increase. But council members said notice was given of the consideration of the rate increase and there was no other way but through a rate hike to pay for drinking water.

Other residents asked whether the rates will go down.

Borough Solicitor Jeffrey Dimmich told them, "The answer lies in whether the wells in Catasauqua can get back on line in the next few months." He added, " . . . if that does not happen, Catasauqua will have a very serious financial problem on its hands."

Borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder said that by June the borough will owe Northampton Water Authority $180,000.

Other residents asked if water will be shut off to customers who refuse to pay the increased water bills.

Dimmich responded, "The answer is that we won't be able to pay Northampton and they'll shut off the water. You don't have to worry about us shutting the water off."

Paul M. Yaniga, principal hydrogeologist with Groundwater Technologies, said recenttesting shows a significant level of contamination in a number of test wells drilled by the company that would prohibit re-starting the borough wells at this time.

Gasoline byproducts up to 40 parts per million have been detected in the worst-contaminated test well, according to recent testing, Yaniga said. Altogether, Yaniga said three wells show "highly" contaminated water.

One borough well that council hopes to bring back on line in order to draw residential drinking water currently shows no level of contamination. But before that well can be used, Yaniga explained to council members, the level of contamination in ground surrounding the well has to be reduced.

If the borough would begin to draw water from the uncontaminated well now, Yaniga said it could have the effect of drawing pollutants into that well from other contaminated areas. Groundwater Technologies will be working on a plan to begin drawing contaminated water from one of the polluted test wells so as to pull the bad water away from the well the borough wants to bring back on line.

The borough also will be seeking approval from the Department of Environmental Resources for a plan to discharge the contaminated water after it is drawn from the groundwater. Council has discussed using a device called an "air stripper," which takes water into the top of a large tank and runs it down through a filtering medium while air is blown up through the tank to vaporize the gasoline.

Council also has discussed a less costly procedure of running contaminated water over large areas of macadam, which also would have the effect of dissipating the gasoline before it is discharged into the creek.

While the contaminated water is being drawn out of the ground, the borough also will continue to draw test samples from the well to be used for drinking water to determine if it remains free of gasoline.

Yaniga said he had no estimates when work could begin, but he said it would partly depend on how soon the borough presents a plan for the cleanup to DER and get the department's approval.

Yaniga did say, however, that the entire cleanup could be accomplished in six weeks to two months.